Embarkment 2577 Read online

  “You really have no idea, do you?”

  “What? No, tell me, what?”

  A smile tugged at his lips. “You take a stroll with an alien through the arboretum and end up with armfuls of plant specimens. You tell him how cool the ship is and end up with a pilot exchange program. Enoch has worked with them for five years and couldn’t even get one leaf off the planet.”

  I shrugged. “I guess they don’t like him.”

  Not that I blamed them; I didn’t like him either.

  Adam stopped outside the door. He seemed to look extra handsome that night, and I so wanted him to stay. “Aren’t you coming in?”

  “No. I have a meeting with Anya and the Captain, and then I need to take the bridge. Jia’Lyn has pulled double shifts for too long.”

  Of course. Someone would have to do his job when he wasn’t around. I hadn’t thought of that.

  I moseyed inside, sat down on the edge of the bed, and let myself fall backwards. Maybe I could take a little nap before taking my clothes and shoes off…

  My eyes popped wide open when the door swooshed open and the computer chimed, “Unauthorized access.”

  Now what? I heard a whirring noise and the computer’s all too merry voice, “Door malfunction.”

  Could whatever it might be go away if I lay really still and pretended to be dead? Probably not. Could I roll off the bed and crawl in under it? Glancing over towards the living room gave a definite negative on that. Enoch was heading towards me with a determined frown on his moon round face.

  “You’re in the wrong room, Ambassador. Yours is further down the corridor.”

  He didn’t even blink.

  I should have gotten to my feet earlier, but things like this didn’t happen on the Bell. Options? If he took two steps more I would have none. I pressed my hands into the soft mattress and pushed myself to my feet. The bathroom was mere steps away, and the door would lock just fine.

  Enoch was faster. He tackled me and we both fell. Landing on my back with the heavy man on top of me knocked all the air out, and it took a long moment for me to understand the wheezing sound was me trying to breathe.

  Struggling was futile; he held me down without even trying. “Do you have any idea how much I suffered to adapt to that planet? How much time and energy I put into this?”

  “Get off me, you big, ugly…”

  “You come sweeping in, taking it all away from me without even trying.”

  His strong fingers ripped my top open as if he shredded a piece of paper. “Computer, I need security!”

  “Unable to comply, please specify your request.”

  What the hell? How hard could it be to call for security? Normally, nothing on the ship scared me as much as the insect like Lupe who reminded me of a six foot tall palmetto bug, but right now I’d pay anything to see my reflection in his multi-faceted eyes.

  “You owe me. How do you think trees procreate? They clone their roots.”

  He would never let a thing like this see sunlight. Apart from the misery of being raped, my room would explode, or maybe I’d end up dying in space, having accidentally fallen out an airlock.

  “The first woman I see for half a decade ruins everything I’ve worked for.”

  Adrenaline pumped through me and I wriggled free enough to reach behind me. My searching finger tips touched a cool surface. A lamp. If I could reach just a little further…

  Enoch sat on my legs to keep me from kicking him and tucked my skirt up. I shoved the lamp against his head, and the ceramic material shattered. “Computer, get Adam.”

  The large man on top of me grunted and shook his head. I turned my face away just in time for his fist to hit the floor instead of my cheek. “Anya!”

  Up until now, I always doubted her claim of being telepathic. No one else could hear me, no one else could help, and I prayed to whatever deity might still exist in this century that she could perceive me.

  Enoch’s fingers closed around my throat and I grabbed his wrists, struggling to pry his fingers off enough to allow me some air. Nothing. I hit him as hard as I could and was rewarded with pain screaming through every nerve. My right hand no longer obeyed, and I scratched him with my left.

  I saw dark dots in front of my eyes. This was it. No more Alex lost in time, no more anything.

  Then, the pressure disappeared. A part of me registered Enoch flying through the air, hitting a wall with a very satisfying thud. A bigger part of me was much too preoccupied with getting cool air down my aching throat to care.

  Breathing did not come easy. I heard Anya’s voice, “Ima, come to Alex’s quarter immediately.” Something further away banged against the wall, and I heard the Captain’s voice from a great distance. “Adam, that’s enough.” Then, sharper, “Commander, stand down!”

  Enoch’s voice broke through the darkness in my mind. “…your pet robot is trying to kill me…”

  “If he really tried to, you wouldn’t be here now.”

  A cool hand on my forehead gave comfort. “Ima’s on the way.”

  I wanted to tell Anya how happy I was to have her company in my final moments, but there wasn’t enough air.

  I must have passed out for a moment. I woke from a cool instrument buzzing on my neck. Ima’s furred hands examined mine, and the absence of pain was remarkable.

  Blake’s voice came from the other side of the room. “No. The only place you’re going is the brig, and if you give me just half an excuse I’ll shoot you myself.”

  Enoch yelled something about abuse and Ima narrowed her eyes. She got to her feet, and from my position on the floor she looked impossibly tall when standing up. “Oh, you will get medical care as soon as you get to the brig. I will see to it myself.”

  The way her tail wagged made me happy not to be Enoch.

  Adam entered my field of view, holding a robe. He knelt beside me and swept it over me, covering up my exposed body.

  Ima rested a hand on his shoulder, and I marvelled at her talent for making ordinary words sound like curses. “The ambassador did a proper job. I healed Alex’s trachea and broken hand. Don’t worry, Commander. I will make sure he is… cared for.”

  He scooped me up in his arms without saying a word. Ima poked him. “I will come by your quarters in the morning and check in on her. Until then, I expect you to keep an eye on her.”

  “Yes ma’am.”

  “Wait…” It was the first word I attempted to say, and I was surprised to recognize my voice. It wasn’t even hoarse. “How did you know?”

  Anya squeezed my arm. “I heard you. I saw Enoch through your eyes, felt him tear your clothes…”

  She trailed off and I glanced up at Adam’s emotionless face. It all happened so quickly. How could he have reached me in time?

  “He took a shortcut. Jumped into the shaft and bounced off a hover-round.”

  Anya’s explanation made sense. There was no other way he could have reached me so quickly. The central shaft was a chilling abyss that reached all the way to the bottom of the ship, more than 40 floors. It was meant for vehicles, not people. I couldn’t imagine anyone leaping into it just to save me.

  *****

  There should be more appealing places to go than Adam’s empty rooms, but I couldn’t think of anything. Remaining in the guest quarters I’d occupied for so long was out of the question. The rooms were tainted, and I doubted I’d ever feel safe there again.

  I rested my head against his shoulder and tried to relax. Nothing bad would happen to me. He wouldn’t let it.

  The lift seemed safe enough for me to close my eyes, and I didn’t open them again until I heard a door fall shut behind us. I expected a big empty room. This place had furniture, art on the walls, and decorations on shelves. “Where are we?”

  He didn’t answer; he headed for a plush sofa and sat down with me on his lap. His silence scared me, but I could relate. I trembled from all the adrenaline my body released trying to survive. I wanted to cry, wanted to throw up in fear and
disgust with what almost happened. I clung to Adam instead, drawing solace from his strength.

  Eventually, Adam asked, “How’s your hand?”

  I flexed the fingers. “It’s okay. Ima fixed me.”

  “I have never wanted to kill before.”

  “What a strange thing for a soldier to say.”

  He sighed. “That’s not what I meant. A war is a war, that’s different. I wanted to rip his arms off to make him hurt.”

  Good point. At some point in time, most people might want to hurt someone. If I was caught in a fit of rage, the worst I could do would be kicking someone. Adam would be quite capable of ripping a person apart with his bare hands.

  Well, in the case of Enoch, good riddance… I rested my head against him again. “You saved my life.”

  His communicator beeped, and I heard Jia’Lyn’s voice. “The Captain told me what happened. Is Alex alright?”

  “Under the circumstances.”

  “I’ll take the bridge tonight. Stay with Alex and take good care of her.”

  He kissed the side of my head. “Thank you, Commander.”

  I could visualize her snakes snickering when she replied, “I know, I should be a saint, but my people don’t have religion. You wouldn’t hold it against me if I have an errand down to the brig tonight, would you?”

  Adam surprised me with laughing softly. “Alex loves you too. Good night.”

  The sofa smelled new. Up until now I’d been too preoccupied and scared to really look around. Everything looked new. “This is your place, isn’t it?”

  “Of course.” He held me tighter. “You were disappointed when you saw the empty rooms. I needed to fix it up.”

  How did he find time to do all these things? I suppose the ship was filled with willing little helpers, but anyway. “You don’t have to change for me.”

  “I know.”

  Just when I thought he wouldn’t say anything more, he murmured, “I can never replace everything you lost. I wanted to build something new… Maybe, with time you could make it a home.”

  Was he asking me to move in? I knew the arrangement with the guest quarters was temporary, the word guest made that pretty clear. If I ever imagined moving, I hadn’t expected it to be here. “I love it.”

  Adam’s lips searched for mine, but the kiss was much too short. “I should go get some clothes and things for you. What do you need for tonight? I’ll get the rest in the morning.”

  “Don’t go.”

  “You need something else to wear. Wanna borrow a shirt?”

  I shook my head. He was right; he kept the robe tucked around me as if I was a little girl, but under it, my clothes were completely destroyed. As long as I kept them on, I acknowledged Enoch’s existence. I wanted my clothes, my hairbrush, and a number of other little things. Adam could get me new ones, but if the crazy rapist scared me so much I was willing to give up everything, he had won.

  “Okay… Just please hurry back.”

  He nodded and rose up, still holding me in his arms. It was a feat few humans could have pulled off, but he did it with ease. As he strode towards the bedroom, I peeked around. The room looked amazing. “Do you have a secret talent for home improvement, or did you pay someone to do this?”

  “You like it? A little out of column A, and a little of column B.”

  He put me down on the bed and frowned. “Want me to call someone to keep you company?”

  Good idea, but too humiliating. “No…”

  “Want a guard outside the door?”

  It was sweet of him to ask, but I shook my head. Enoch was securely locked up, and I should be able to cope with ten minutes alone.

  “Do you want my gun?”

  He tried so hard to make me feel secure. I was afraid of weapons, but if I took it, we might both feel better. “Sure.”

  As soon as he left, a weight sank down over my chest. Why was getting air so difficult? The room spun around me. A voice of reason spoke up deep inside. “You’re having a panic attack. Breathe and it will go away.”

  I closed my eyes and forced stale air out of my lungs. The cool, dry atmosphere of the room filled them. Again, and again. The turmoil inside me spun slower, and finally stopped. Adam would be back any minute, and I was safe.

  When I opened my eyes again the suffocating feeling was gone. No unseen dangers lurked. I rose to my feet and pulled the torn top over my head. Once I started removing the ruined clothes, I couldn’t get rid of them quickly enough.

  I wanted to scrub Enoch’s touch off my skin, but was afraid to enter the bathroom before Adam came back. Who knew what dangers might lurk in the shower.

  *****

  Later at night, the room filled with my things. It smelled of jasmine tea and cinnamon, and I rested in the twilight zone between awareness and sleep. Adam’s arms around me helped me feel safe.

  As so many times before, he surprised me. “I used to look at people around me and wonder what it would be like. To be in a relationship, I mean. To have someone.”

  His mother built him to replace a lost husband. A woman smart enough to construct someone like him would also be smart enough to program him to want what she wanted. Was he loving and protective because of me, or because of her? Did it matter? “Is it what you expected?”

  He pulled me closer. “No. It’s better. It’s much more rewarding.”

  All things Adam fascinated me. It seemed to be mutual; one day he spent over an hour staring at my hand, claiming he watched the life cycle of my cells.

  “So… What’s it like when we… uh… you know… make love?”

  He was programmed to do it, and I suspected he was programmed to want it. It still puzzled me how he could seem so human about it.

  “Oh, it’s wonderful.”

  So far so good. I stayed silent, hoping he’d elaborate.

  “It feels good, but I suspect it’s not the same as for a human. It’s intoxicating, probably habit-forming.”

  “What?” He clearly didn’t share the human biological urge to procreate, and his mother must have come up with something else, but habit forming?

  “Meeting you created new connections in my neural network. When I’m with you, the voltage increases, and then it overloads. It’s a marvellous experience.”

  Overload, huh? “You make it sound like I’m a drug.” Or a battery…

  “You are, sort of. I’m built to circumvent all the mistakes a human man might make. I’m bound to you, and I can’t cheat, or leave you. I always want to have you closer. Isn’t that a good thing?”

  “I guess…” I was too weary to make heads or tails of it.

  Chapter Four

  The next morning, I woke from the sweet scent of breakfast. “Ow.”

  Parts of my body ached as if I’d been in a losing fight with a windmill. I was probably both blue and black, but assessing the damage could wait. I did not want to see what Enoch’s fingers had done to my poor body.

  Adam came into the room, carrying a tray with breakfast. I bet I made a pretty good grimace when I struggled to sit up without really moving.

  “I can still kill him. Do you want me to go kill him?”

  I leaned back against the pillow. “No. But, thanks.”

  He put the tray next to me and snatched a round, shiny object from it. “I told Ima you were sleeping, so she left you this.”

  “What? She’s been here already?”

  “Already… It’s past ten, sweetheart. I thought you needed to sleep.”

  He twisted something on the little object and it started to hum. I didn’t object when he took my hand and straightened my arm, but when he put the thing down on my skin, it started to spin. “What are you doing?”

  “You have crushed muscle fibers and connective tissue. This machine heals on a cellular level. Let it run its course.”

  The machine stopped over each bruise, hovered there, and moved on to the next one. It tickled, but stopped the pain, and I could see my bruises fade away. “Wow.”
>
  When it reached my back it really tickled.

  Adam took a seat on the edge of the bed. “Have some breakfast.”

  I reached for some berries to make him happy. “You should have something too.”

  He took a piece of a croissant and nibbled it. We did the same thing most mornings, and the routine comforted me.

  The machine was finally done and Adam put it in a pocket. “I should go get the rest of your things.”

  “Do you really want me to move in here?”

  He lifted an eyebrow. “Would you rather go back?”

  “Oh no, God no, that’s not what I meant.”

  “So I should go get your things?”

  Were we ready to officially move in together? It was a big step, at least for me. How could I phrase my question in a way that made sense to him? We already lived together, sort of, and had done so for a long time. If it wasn’t there, it was here, and this practical solution to the problem mattered to him. “Hurry back.”

  Would this work in the long run? I hoped so. If not, let future Alex and Adam deal with it.

  By the time I dressed and moseyed over to the sofa, my new home was filled with familiar objects. Our home. This was big. Maybe I should thank Enoch for trying to kill me.

  I glanced at an urn, “That’s not mine.”

  Adam shrugged. “It is now.”

  The computer chirped, “Captain Jones wishes to enter.”

  Anyone else could be turned away. The Captain, not so much. I tucked my feet up under me and hoped they had something to discuss besides me. Like the renegade black hole in the basement…

  Disappointment. Blake fixed his eyes on me. “The prisoner requests to see you.”

  Adam stood behind the sofa with his feet apart and arms crossed over his chest. He looked like a bodyguard, and considering my luck lately, I might need one. “That’s not happening.”

  While I agreed, I also had to ask, “Why would he want that?”

  “Well, it turns out Lupe stumbled and shot him in the shoulder on the way to the brig last night. Later, Ima went down there to treat him, and used some old fashioned voodoo from her home planet involving long wooden needles, so he’s afraid to ask for more medical attention.”